NORVASC is indicated for the treatment of hypertension, stenocardia (acute heart pain), silent myocardial ischemia and cardiac decompensation. It may be prescribed alone or in combination with other medication used to treat these cardiovascular disorders.
What should we know about the above mentioned diseases? What are the symptoms that are related to these cardiovascular diseases? What categories of people are prone to the disorders? What possible consequences and complication can occur if the disorders are not treated in time?
Hypertension also called high blood pressure is a cardiovascular disease that occurs when pressure inside the blood vessels becomes too high.
Usually a lot of people do not experience any symptoms of high blood pressure and may ignore their condition. Over the years, however, the strain hypertension on the heart and blood vessels can increase the risk of heart attacks, stroke ,kidney failure and eye problems. That's why the high blood pressure is often called “silent killer”. Actually hypertension can be successfully controlled through a combination of antihypertensive medication as well as changes in your lifestyle and diet.
In some cases people with hypertension may experience some common symptoms:
- Headache
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Blurred vision
However, many people do not pay attention to these “mild” symptoms and don't seek any medical care until there organs are not damaged severely due to chronic hypertension.
Chronic hypertension can affect body structures:
- Heart
- Brain
- Blood vessels
- Kidneys
- Eyes
The damage of these organs may lead to the the following conditions:
- Congestive heart failure (CHF)
- Peripheral arterial disease
- Kidney failure
- Heart attack
- Stroke or "mini stroke" -- also called transient ischemic attack (TIA)
- Eye damage
You should know that if hypertension is not treated, the risk to die because of the mentioned above conditions increases.
The most common type of high blood pressure or essential hypertension usually occurs in 8-9 out of 10 high blood pressure cases. What does exactly cause essential hypertension is still not known. However, there are some risk factors that may increase a chance of developing high blood pressure. Essential hypertension may occur if you experience the following conditions:
- if you have family history of high blood pressure
- if you are African American
- if you are male over the age of 45 or a female over the age of 55
The factors that can be controlled may include:
- if you are obese or have excess body weight
- if you do not enough physical activity
- if you suffer from diabetes
- if you consume too much sodium
- if you abuse alcohol
- if you have Prehypertension (condition, when blood pressure is in average 120-139/80-89 mm Hg range).
Stenocardia or angina pectoris is a heart disease that is distinguished by chest pain due to a temporary insufficience inflow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart.
The irregular blood flow is caused by narrowing coronary arteries , that supply heart with blood. There are three types of stenocardia. Each of these types has different treatment options and symptoms. These are:
Stable angina that may occur when the heart works harder than usual and therefore it requires more more oxygen to wok properly
unstable angina is dangerous and requires emergency treatment; variant angina occurs at rest and can be relieved by medicine.
Unstable angina is the second most common type of stenocardia. This is a dangerous condition that needs an emergency treatment.
Variant angina is a rare type of stenocardia that is caused by a spasm in a coronary artery. This spasm causes coronary artery to narrow. In its turn, it slows down blood flow to the heart.
People who suffer from stenocardia usually experience discomfort or pressure-like pain in the heart area, chest, neck, shoulders, back or arms. The pain usually endures 2 - 5 minutes. The symptoms of stenocardia worsen after physical activity and are eased by rest. Some people often experience indigestion or heartburn. Other angina symptoms may include: nausea, shortness of breath, sweating, weakness, fatique. These are general symptoms of stenocardia. However, in most cases symptoms may very depending on what type of stenocardia a patient experience.
More than 6 million people in the United States experience stenocardia. There are many risk factors that increase risk for developing stenocardia. Stenocardia may occur in the following conditions:
- Heart diseases(coronary heart disease ) or family history of early heart disorders
- Age (stable and unstable angina usually develops in older adults; young people are prone to variant angina).
- High cholesterol levels
- Hypertension
- Smoking
- Diabetes
- Obesity
It is important to understand that an episode of stenocardia is not a heart attack, it is a condition that increases your chance for having a heart attack. The pain related to stenocardia means that heart muscle temporarily do not get enough oxygen. On the other hand, a heart attack occurs when the blood flow to a part of the heart is blocked, often by a blood clot.
Cardiac decompensation is a cardiac disorder that is characterized by inability of the heart to maintain adequate circulation; it is manifested with dyspnea, venous engorgement, cyanosis and edemia.
Silent myocardial ischemia is one the most common symptom of coronary heart disease (CHD). The presence of silent myocardia ischemic onsets among patients with coronary heart disease is often detected during ambulatory ECG test.
Silent myocardial ischemia occurs more likely in people with hypertension, high cholesterol level and those who smokes and abuses alcohol drinking.
